"Rodger Whitlock" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 08:55:35 +0100, Jeannie wrote:

Letting nettles grow in your garden will attract many beneficial
insects
including ladybirds, parasitic wasps, lacewings and hoverflies
which will
all act as natural pest control.

Is it possible to grow nettles in pots so they don't get away
from you? Or do they cannily manage to sneak out the drainholes
and take off?

How many nettles in how many pots would you need to attract enough
predators to cope with an infestation of green or blackfly? And how
are the predators to stay alive when they have eradicated the pests?

I don't consider myself an eco-freak of any description, but I
really like the idea of encouraging predatory insects in this
way. And I know where nettles abound, so I can dig male plants
and thereby avoid any seeding around. (Nettles aren't common
locally because it's generally too dry in summer, but they grow
luxuriantly in some damp places -- you have to know where to
look.)

And: are there any other plants that also encourage predatory
insects?

Franz